What is the Natural Selection Experiment?
A STEM activity that I have thought of myself is an experiment that can be conducted during a science lesson. The experiment is surrounding the topic of natural selection and why animals might evolve to have certain characteristics. The method for this experiment is as follows:
| Teachers actions | Students actions | Questions to stimulate learning | Equipment required |
| Pour a pack of packing peanuts into a tub of water. Randomly provide the students with their tools (chopsticks, tongs, fork, ruler, straw) to students. Allocate a time limit and see which student is able to pick up the highest number of packing peanuts! | The students will challenge each other and compete to see who can pick up the most packing peanuts. As the game continues, they will start to notice that some tools work better that others. | So which tool did the best with collecting the packing peanuts? Do you think if the packing peanuts weren’t in water, some other tools could have worked too? (Try to make them think about different environmental pressures) | Tub, chopstick, tongs, fork, ruler, straw, packing peanuts, water. |
What Year 7 & 8 VCAA outcomes does the Natural Selection Experiment support?
This lesson is mainly focused around the topic of natural selection in Biology but it can also incorporate the theory of tectonic plates in Geography. Additionally, students can discuss about how scientists plan to use technology to recreate the dinosaurs as part of STEM. Another aspect that could be looked at is how movies and exhibitions recreate these dinosaurs and make them look so realistic in terms of engineering.
Identify, analyse and explain interconnections within places and between places and identify and explain changes resulting from these interconnections (VCGGC101)
Define and decompose real-world problems taking into account functional requirements and sustainability (economic, environmental, social), technical and usability constraints (VCDTCD040)
Use scientific knowledge and findings from investigations to identify relationships, evaluate claims and draw conclusions (VCSIS111)
Links to Academic Research & Justification:
The most useful learning method that can be used in this lesson is inquiry based learning. Nam et al (2013) states that “inquiry-based science teaching is one of the main goals of the current reform movement in science education” as “many researchers have reported the positive impacts of scientific inquiry instruction on student learning” (Nam et al, 2013, p.817). They support this statement by saying that “inquiry-based science instruction supports students’ understanding of scientific concepts and procedure, as opposed to rote learning of science facts” and that “ inquiry based learning provides opportunities for students to internalize or transform the new information by which they construct their individual cognitive structures” (Nam et al, 2013, p.817).
This method can be done through experiments, investigative tasks or by asking open ended questions to prompt students to think outside the box. Students are encouraged to ask questions, make observations and conduct their own investigations as part of their learning. It is important for students to learn via active learning and be introduced to more hands on activities that “inspire students to discover scientific knowledge” (DiBiase & McDonald, 2015, p.30).
DiBiase & McDonald (2015) remind teachers that “students should be activity involved in their own learning and they must learn to take responsibility for that learning” (DiBiase & McDonald, p.30). Seung et al (2013) points out that “by engaging in inquiry, students also develop science process skills and higher order thinking skills, as well as scientific knowledge” (Seung et al., 2013, p.509).
References:
DiBiase, W. & McDonald, J. R. 2015, ‘Science Teacher Attitudes Toward Inquiry-Based Teaching and Learning’, Journal of Educational Strategies, 88 (2), 29 – 38. doi: 10.1080/00098655.2014.987717
Nam, J., Seung, E. & Go, M. 2013, ‘The Effect of a Collaborative Mentoring Program
on Beginning Science Teachers’ Inquiry-based Teaching Practice’, International Journal of Science Education , 35(5), 815-836. doi: 10.1080/09500693.2011.584329
Seung, E., Park S. & Jung, K. 2013, ‘Exploring Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Understanding of the Essential Features of Inquiry-Based Science Teaching Using Evidence-Based Reflection’, Res Sci Educ, 44, 507-529, doi: 10.1007/s11165-013-9390-x
Victorian curriculum and assessment authority 2017, retrieved 21st May 2019,http://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/
STEM Resources 